By Brian Consiglio
The University of Missouri is expanding an innovative, research-based mobile app that helps pork producers predict heat stress in pigs before symptoms appear.
Backed by a $1.15 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Jay Johnson, an associate professor in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, will build on HotHog, a smartphone app that identifies heat-related risks in pigs.
Unlike humans, pigs do not sweat, making them especially vulnerable to heat. In livestock production, excessive heat can affect animal welfare, slow growth, reduce reproductive performance and, in severe cases, lead to animal losses.
“By the time you start seeing your pigs panting, they've already been impacted," Johnson said. "The goal of the app is to help producers make management decisions before animals reach that point. That not only improves the welfare of their animals but also the economic outlook of the pork production industry, which is huge in Missouri.”
Source : missouri.edu